Mighty moussaka

Method

In his book Vegetables, the new food heroes, Peter Gordon calls his meatless version of this eastern Mediterranean staple, “the best-ever moussaka”. Meatless it may be, but it is lusty and substantial. And, no, neither he nor we have forgotten the pepper and salt. There’s seasoning aplenty in the cheeses, chilli, ginger and herbs.

1 Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4. Make the tomato sauce: sauté both the onions over a moderate heat in the olive oil, stirring often, until just starting to caramelise. Add the garlic, carrots, ginger, chilli and bay leaves, and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and herbs, and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2 Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into slices about 5mm thick and simmer in salted water until just cooked, then drain in a colander.

3 Brush the aubergine slices with oil then either grill or fry until golden on both sides. They don’t need to be fully cooked – a little underdone is better than fully cooked.

4 Make the cheese sauce: heat the butter and extra virgin olive oil together until the butter sizzles, then add the flour and cook for 20 seconds, stirringly constantly. Take off the heat and whisk in the warm milk, then return to the stove and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then mix in the eggs and cheeses.

5 Layer half the potatoes on the base of a three-litre gratin dish, then spread on half of the tomato sauce, followed by half the aubergines and one-third of the cheese sauce. Repeat the layers, finishing with a layer of cheese sauce. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top has become golden and the moussaka is heated through.

6 Allow the moussaka to settle and cool for about 5 minutes before serving.